How to Warm Up Your Brain Before a Hockey Game: 7 Ways to Get Game-Ready
Most hockey players spend time before games warming up their bodies, whether that means stretching, raising their heart rate with cardio, maybe some stickhandling or passing with a hockey ball, or even playing soccer. But how many players spend time getting into the right mindset, or warming up their cognitive abilities?
Pre-game warmups needn’t only focus on the physical body—they should also prepare the hockey brain for fast-paced action on the ice. This may mean working on visual cues and perception, proprioception (your own body-awareness of movement and space), building good habits, and mindset exercises.
A short, intentional mental warmup routine before getting on the ice can mean the difference between starting slow or starting ahead—and it could be the difference between a win and a loss.
One of the most useful ways NHL Sense Arena helps hockey players is by providing the tools to effectively warm-up before getting on the ice, which leads to a faster start, more confidence, and better playmaking earlier in games.
Here’s how NHL Goaltender Joey Daccord Warms up before games, with NHL Sense Arena.
What is a mental warm-up for hockey?
Mental warmups in hockey aren’t just about getting into the right mindset to play (although that is a part of it), it’s also about preparing your brain and eyes to be ready for a fast-paced game where your actions, reactions, and anticipation are key to success. Like stretching your muscles, warming up your brain helps create more pliability, greasing your mental engine for peak performance.
While these types of warmups can vary depending on the player and position, typically they cover three core areas:
Visual readiness: Scanning the ice, your depth perception, the ability to identify and process cues, and your visual understanding of time and space.
Cognitive readiness: Processing situations, recognizing patterns, anticipating options, and making smarter decisions, faster.
Skill readiness: How your eyes, hands and brain work together to accomplish a skillful goal like stickhandling or shooting, executing familiar movements with precision and accuracy, reacting quickly to external cues.
Notably, mental warmups are different and should be treated differently compared to training. Where training requires a more dedicated routine and structure, mental warmups are shorter and built to prime targeted skills before an activity, without creating fatigue.
7 Ways to Warm Up Your Brain Before a Hockey Game
1. Visualize Success on the Ice
Think through realistic situations: What will it look like and feel like to receive a pass; what do you need to do to find and pass to an open teammate; what are the proper ways to support the puck; what will your effort look like getting back defensively? Imagine different scenarios in a game that you’ll encounter, visualize a successful outcome, and affirm your ability to achieve greatness.
Practical tip: Spend 30 to 60 seconds visualizing a few simple, game-relevant situations, or your first few shifts. Keep it positive, specific, and realistic. Avoid negative thinking or worst-case scenarios; or if you do encounter these thoughts, think fully through how you can resolve this in another scenario to be more successful.
NHL Sense Arena Playmaker mode puts you in specific game-scenarios and asks you to analyze the situation to find the best action. This type of drill forces you to consider different options, quickly process the situation, scan the full play around you, and make a decision. Being in these scenarios on the ice before a game will prepare you for real plays once the game begins.
2. Get Your Hands and Eyes Working Together
Use a few minutes of controlled stickhandling to find your rhythm, warm up your hands, wrists and arms, and get your body in sync. Progress from looking at the puck to keeping your head up and noticing targets or objects around you, where safe and appropriate.
Incorporate DanglePro stickhandling drills, including scanning and multitasking activities, as a way to practice puck control while directing attention beyond the puck. For a game-day routine, choose familiar, manageable drills rather than chasing a personal best.
DanglePro drills to use for warming up:
Basic warmup: Lumber yard
Progressive warmup: Pavel Barber Flow 5
Scanning and stickhandling: Scan and Evade
Mental processing and stickhandling: Multitask Colors
Stamina and anticipation: The Gauntlet
3. Practice Reading the Play Before It Happens
Mental preparedness in hockey goes beyond quick reactions and mindset, it also should include anticipating game situations and understanding the game in a deeper way. In other words, hockey IQ. While visualizing your own success helps build confidence, thinking through different plays may help prepare you for unique situations like powerplays, playing with a lead, or odd man rushes.
One way to approach this is by gameplanning out specific “if-then” scenarios. For example, if I’m playing defense in a one-on-one situation, what are my options and how might I play it? Or, if I’m on a breakaway, what cues might I consider when deciding how and when to shoot?
Consider all the elements that might factor into these decisions, talk to teammates or coaches about what to do in certain situations, prepare for specific teams or players, and think through best practices.
NHL Sense Arena Playmaker Mode takes players through structured, hockey-specific scenarios that can help players practice reading situations and choosing their next action. Complete different courses to receive your hockey IQ score and strive for better decision-making in different areas on the ice.
4. Sharpen Your Attention With Quick Cognitive Drills
Cognitive exercises challenge players to notice visual cues, respond to changing targets, track multiple pieces of information, or switch attention between tasks.
While some tools like light reflex training, video games, or wall-ball could help, NHL Sense Arena’s drills are specifically made to strengthen several cognitive skills, all in one tool. These activities provide structured ways to challenge attention, visual processing, and responses to cues. Drills like selective attention and mirror reflex work on mental processing, reflexes and vision all at the same time, and can be used by any position to prepare cognitive skills before a game.
5. Prepare for Your Position
Different position players as well as goalies have different visual and decision-making demands, so their preparation should differ, too.
For skaters: Practice scanning, puck control, finding passing options, and recognizing pressure.
Forwards: Work on O-zone entry, quick passing, shot anticipation, full ice scanning, and movement without the puck.
Defense: Work on breakout strategies, opponent position awareness, opponent body cues, and shoulder checking
For goalies: Focus on tracking the puck, maintaining awareness, reading shooters, practicing positioning and responses to shots.
NHL Sense Arena drills and training plans are built to accommodate different positions. Playmaker Mode drills are broken down into different areas of the ice, while training plans can be selected based on what they train, all to target the areas that meet players’ needs.
6. Review Your Game Plan and Pick One Focus
Mental readiness is also about simplifying the game. Review the team's key instructions and choose one controllable focus, such as checking your shoulder before receiving a pass, communicating early, or moving your feet after making a play.
Practical tip: Keep it to one or two reminders. A long mental checklist can become another distraction.
7. Manage Nerves and Get Into the Right Headspace
Pregame jitters are real, especially at the start of a new season, or before big games. Getting into the right headspace can also mean learning to control your nerves through breathwork, positive self-talk, and controlling the controllable.
Being game-ready doesn't mean feeling perfectly calm. It means having a routine that helps you direct your attention toward what you can control, and beginning each game with the proper amount of excitement and confidence.
What Should a Hockey Pregame Warm-Up Look Like?
A hockey pregame warmup doesn’t have to be complicated or lengthy, nor should it be tiring. Here’s a simple 10-15 minute routine that will get you ready for gametime.
1 min
Visualize. Picture a few game situations and the decisions you want to make.
3 min (in headset)
Activate your hands and eyes in DanglePro. Do comfortable stickhandling with occasional head-up scanning, or a familiar low-intensity coordination activity.
3 min (in headset)
Complete a handful of Playmaker Mode scenarios or 2-3 VR drills for your position. Focus on key mental skills like scanning and reactions.
3 min (in headset)
Complete 2-3 cognitive drills to get your brain firing and your reflexes ready.
1 min
Review your focus. Choose one tactical or personal goal for the first few shifts. Review gameplans or specific strategy.
1 min
Reset your attention. Take a few comfortable breaths, settle in, set your intentions and goals, and remind yourself what you can control in the coming game.
VR training can be used separately during regular off-ice preparation. Avoid introducing unfamiliar or demanding VR drills right before a game, and leave enough time for your normal physical warm-up.
The Best Pregame Routine Is One You Can Repeat
Remember, mental preparation should be familiar, convenient, and easy to access.
Keep it short and consistent.
Choose activities that match your age, skill level, and position.
Avoid turning your warm-up into another demanding workout.
Work on hockey-specific skills during regular training, not just on game day.
Pair mental preparation with physical warm-ups, good sleep, hydration, and the team's game plan.
Ready to train your hands, sharpen your hockey IQ, and practice reading the game? Explore the training tools in NHL Sense Arena 27.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mental Warm-Ups for Hockey
Should hockey players warm up their brains before a game?
A mental warm-up can help hockey players focus their attention on the game, review their goals, and mentally rehearse hockey-specific situations. It should complement, not replace, a physical warm-up.
What is the best mental warm-up for a hockey player?
A useful routine can include brief visualization, head-up stickhandling, a review of the game plan, cognitive drills, and simple breathing exercises. The best routine is one the player can repeat consistently without adding fatigue or stress.
How can hockey players improve their decision-making?
Players can practice reading game situations, scanning before receiving the puck, recognizing passing options, and anticipating pressure. On-ice repetitions and structured off-ice activities can both contribute to skill development.
Can VR training help improve hockey IQ?
Hockey-specific VR training offers opportunities to practice reading simulated game situations, recognizing visual cues, and making decisions. It can complement on-ice development, although results vary and VR training does not replace real-game experience.
What can hockey goalies do to prepare mentally before a game?
Goalies can review their positioning cues, visualize common shot situations, practice tracking the puck, and use a consistent routine to focus their attention. Any additional drills should complement their normal goalie warm-up.
